The Devils tried to regroup Wednesday and figure out how their season blew up in 80 seconds Tuesday night. Just 1:20 away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs, the Devils let the Hurricanes score twice in 48 seconds to win Game 7.

"No, I have never seen anything like that," shaken coach Brent Sutter said after the Devils' elimination. "No. Never."

GM Lou Lamoriello will have to find a way to get the Devils past a devastating end to their season.

"It's easier to handle when you know you weren't good enough," left wing Patrik Elias said. "This time, the series was so close, we were so close. It makes it hard to look back and think about what happened."

First Lamoriello must secure the Devils' leadership for next season. Sutter won a franchise record 51 games. That Sutter did it without Martin Brodeur for 50games after elbow surgery is impressive.

Sutter has also had two straight late-season slides with two first-round exits from the playoffs. Sutter also freely admits to being homesick for his family in Alberta since taking the Devils job. He has said he will reevaluate his situation with Lamoriello, but the Devils expect Sutter to return for the final year of his contract.

Another scenario facing the Devils will be which of their seven unrestricted free agents to re-sign with restricted salary-cap space, expected to be about $17 million.

Their notable free agents are center John Madden, who will be 36 on Monday, and right wing Brian Gionta, who reportedly made $4 million this year for scoring just 20 goals. The Devils value experience and defensively responsible players such as Madden. Lamoriello will have to weigh the cost of Madden's experience against a bump in his salary, reportedly $2.93 million this season.

Finally, Lamoriello will look to upgrade the defense. Its mainstays - Colin White, Paul Martin, Mike Mottau and Bryce Salvador - are locked up through next season, but the Devils could benefit from a more physical presence in front of Brodeur next year.